As the final seconds tick off the clock in a tied game or with American trailing ever-so-slightly, the ball tends to find senior guard Pee Wee Gardner. That's by design.

Sometimes, he drives to the basket. Other times, he launches a three. But whatever decision he makes with the game on the line, it's the right one.

Three times in the past month, Gardner has hit game-winners — with 0.5 seconds left against Mount St. Mary's, 0.8 seconds left against Lehigh and 0.3 seconds left against Lafayette. He also forced overtime with a layup with 3.4 seconds left last week against Colgate. (American went on to win.)

As evidenced by the celebrations that follow, these late-game heroics remain thrilling, no matter how frequently they're happening.

"I wouldn't say I'm getting tired of them," Gardner says, laughing. "I would say I'm tired of the games being so close."

American coach Mike Brennan, now in his second season, did not recruit the 5-9 Gardner, whose nickname stems from his high school stature and whose given first name is Darius. Gardner had transferred from Stephen F. Austin a year before Brennan arrived, and he'd already completed his mandatory redshirt year.

As Brennan and his staff settled into their new program in early May 2013, they met with players and watched them on the court to see what they'd be working with. Gardner stood out right away.

"There were glimpses of what kind of worker he was, what kind of teammate he was and how coachable he was," Brennan says. "He was outstanding in all those regards. The biggest thing, more so than the buzzer-beaters and last-second shots and dramatic moments, is (the big plays) have been a glimpse of his leadership that we see in practice and throughout the games."

These flashy moments also shown the kind of trust teammates have in Gardner, and vice versa. Brennan explains that's because of American's offensive system, which utilizes a balanced scoring attack (three players, including Gardner, play more than 39 minutes a game). In those late-game situations, drawing up plays is fairly straightforward.

"We draw up stuff more so to stay out of his way," Brennan says. "Our guys understand spacing. We've got guys who can shoot and do things, so defenders have to respect them as well. There's usually space for him to maneuver and make decisions, make the play. … It's obviously also him being a terrific player and making the right decisions."

Taking the shot is not his only hallmark. Last season, in Brennan's second game with the Eagles, Gardner made a basket at the end of regulation to send the game into overtime. With one second left in overtime, he found teammate Jesse Reed, who scored the game-winning layup .

In short, Gardner's been a part of more than his fair share of memorable moments at American. One that has made the rounds this season didn't involve a buzzer-beater (at least not until later in the game.)

Against Lehigh, after a steal, Gardner fist-bumped a distinguished guest at the game — Orioles great, Cal Ripken, Jr. It was fitting for a player who's played nearly every minute of every game this season for American, but the moment has a back story, too.

Last summer, Gardner was an intern for the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation. Gardner is a health promotion major, and he served as a coach for the foundation's summer camp, which hosted disadvantaged kids from all over the country up to age 14.

"I was just trying to be a role model for the kids they brought to camp, that was kind of my main job,' Gardner says. "I wanted to help them any way I could because I was underprivileged growing up as well. … I saw (Cal Ripken, Jr.) sitting there courtside. I wanted to acknowledge him for allowing me to be part of the foundation."

Later in the game came a now patented Gardner game-winner. Ripken stayed until the very end.

Darius 'Pee Wee' Gardner (0) has proven to be a player who demands intense defensive attention this season.(Photo: Mike Granse, USA TODAY Sports)

The Eagles are prepared for tight, tough games throughout conference season, and they'll likely get one Wednesday night as they face Boston University in a rematch of last year's Patriot League championship game. In the past three years, three different teams have won the Patriot League's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Last March, American snatched that bid by winning the league's postseason tournament; Gardner was named tournament MVP.

So far this season, Gardner is averaging 11.1 points, 3.6 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game, stats consistent with how he performed last season.​

Last season, he didn't have so many buzzer-beaters in one month — but his coach and teammates will take it.